1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph. The stasis of the Rez sisters is the Wasaychigan Indian Hill Reserve, Manitoulin Island, Ontario in the late summer of 1986. Characters involved include Pelajia Patchnose, Philomena Moosetail, Marie-Adele Starblanket, Annie Cook, Emily Dictionary, Veronique St. Pierre, Zhaboonigan Peterson, and Nanabush.
2. What is the intrusion? The intrusion of the play is the bingo game the main characters want to go to in Toronto, offering the winner $500,000 dollars. This breaks the stasis of the play and starts it off.
3. What is the unique factor? The unique factor of the play that leads to the dramatic action is that this is the day that the group of sisters will go to Toronto in hopes of winning the “Biggest Bingo Game in the World.” It is also the time when the sisters confront things about themselves and each other, such as the argument they share while Philomena sits on the toilet, or when Annie Cook and Marie Adele talk about Eugene on their way to Toronto, and when Zhaboonigan talks to Nanabush about being taken and raped by white men “Nicky, Ricky, Ben, and Mark,” with a screwdriver.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play? The dramatic question that must be answered by the end of the play is, “What has happened to the sister’s?” This is the dramatic question in terms of the journeys that each one goes through alone.
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it. The exposition that happens to the specific character is that of Zhaboonigan. She tells Nanabush about what happened to her before the play began. This is unknown to the other sisters, but when she is knocked on the ground by Nanabush, she mumbles the same names while counting to herself, “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven...Nicky, Ricky, Ben, Mark.” Another exposition that the characters are all aware of is when Veronique gets news about the “Biggest Bingo Game in the World,” and they decide they want to go to Toronto to play it. 6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be. The most theatrical moment in the play, The Rez Sisters, is when they go to the Bingo Game and everything becomes chaotic. Apparently, the women attack the bingo machine after the Bingo Master doesn’t call B-14, Philomena’s special number. During the madness, cards fly into the air and Marie-Adele actually dies in the arms of Nanabush. During the scene, the audience can see how badly the group wanted to win the money, even if they wanted it for different reasons.
7. List some of the themes of the play. Themes in this play include change and inner growth. Although the characters end up back in the reserve with the only thing to really show the Bingo game being a new latrine for Philomena, change does in fact happen. Between Emily and Zhaboonigan for example, Emily goes from talking down to Zhaboonigan to being like the big sister she hasn’t had. Annie and Marie-Adele confront what happened between them and Eugene, and Pelajia thinks about actually becoming the chief of the reserve since she hasn’t left. Inner growth happens with Emily. She grows from being immature and looking down on Zhaboonigan to telling her the secret of her pregnancy.
8. What does the chief character want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of her getting what she wants? The chief character wants to leave the reserve. Some obstacles she faces include that of “me against society,” and “me against another individual.” In the play, Pelajia wants to become the chief of the reserve, but she is told that she cannot because she is a woman during their time period. This indicates that during the time period of the play, woman were probably still seen as inferior to men, indicating the “me against society,” obstacle. Another obstacle Pelajia faces is the “me against another individual,” obstacle. She faces this with different sisters and it comes out when she decides to let her feelings out on each one. For instance, she tells Veronique that the reservation would be a better place without her. She told Annie Cook to “Move to Kapuskasing,” and she told Marie-Adele she was a “selfish brat.” There is tension between the sisters and Pelajia faces a “me against another individual,” obstacle with most of them.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play. Possible images in the play include the bingo machine, and Philomena’s toilet. These are images because the bingo machine may look like a simple machine on the outside, but in actuality it can be seen as the key to each of the sister’s separate dreams. The toilet Philomena buys may seem like only a toilet, but it could also be a symbol of what the women would have had: something new. They were living in the reservation with different dreams, and Philomena was the only one who got something out of the Bingo Game. The toilet can represent what each of the sisters dreamed of, or a small outlet of that.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play. The family relationships in this play are more complex than they seem. Each of the sisters are in fact that: sisters. However, there are underlying resentments, such as that between Annie Cook and Marie-Adele (husband left one for the other). Pelajia has underlying issues with Philomena, Veronique, and even Marie-Adele. They still tolerate each other, and by the end of the play it may be implied that as sisters, they still love each other. The relationship they have include one that is unconditional. Although they have issues with each other, they need each other.
The stasis of the Rez sisters is the Wasaychigan Indian Hill Reserve, Manitoulin Island, Ontario in the late summer of 1986. Characters involved include Pelajia Patchnose, Philomena Moosetail, Marie-Adele Starblanket, Annie Cook, Emily Dictionary, Veronique St. Pierre, Zhaboonigan Peterson, and Nanabush.
2. What is the intrusion?
The intrusion of the play is the bingo game the main characters want to go to in Toronto, offering the winner $500,000 dollars. This breaks the stasis of the play and starts it off.
3. What is the unique factor?
The unique factor of the play that leads to the dramatic action is that this is the day that the group of sisters will go to Toronto in hopes of winning the “Biggest Bingo Game in the World.” It is also the time when the sisters confront things about themselves and each other, such as the argument they share while Philomena sits on the toilet, or when Annie Cook and Marie Adele talk about Eugene on their way to Toronto, and when Zhaboonigan talks to Nanabush about being taken and raped by white men “Nicky, Ricky, Ben, and Mark,” with a screwdriver.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
The dramatic question that must be answered by the end of the play is, “What has happened to the sister’s?” This is the dramatic question in terms of the journeys that each one goes through alone.
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
The exposition that happens to the specific character is that of Zhaboonigan. She tells Nanabush about what happened to her before the play began. This is unknown to the other sisters, but when she is knocked on the ground by Nanabush, she mumbles the same names while counting to herself, “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven...Nicky, Ricky, Ben, Mark.” Another exposition that the characters are all aware of is when Veronique gets news about the “Biggest Bingo Game in the World,” and they decide they want to go to Toronto to play it.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
The most theatrical moment in the play, The Rez Sisters, is when they go to the Bingo Game and everything becomes chaotic. Apparently, the women attack the bingo machine after the Bingo Master doesn’t call B-14, Philomena’s special number. During the madness, cards fly into the air and Marie-Adele actually dies in the arms of Nanabush. During the scene, the audience can see how badly the group wanted to win the money, even if they wanted it for different reasons.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
Themes in this play include change and inner growth. Although the characters end up back in the reserve with the only thing to really show the Bingo game being a new latrine for Philomena, change does in fact happen. Between Emily and Zhaboonigan for example, Emily goes from talking down to Zhaboonigan to being like the big sister she hasn’t had. Annie and Marie-Adele confront what happened between them and Eugene, and Pelajia thinks about actually becoming the chief of the reserve since she hasn’t left. Inner growth happens with Emily. She grows from being immature and looking down on Zhaboonigan to telling her the secret of her pregnancy.
8. What does the chief character want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of her getting what she wants?
The chief character wants to leave the reserve. Some obstacles she faces include that of “me against society,” and “me against another individual.” In the play, Pelajia wants to become the chief of the reserve, but she is told that she cannot because she is a woman during their time period. This indicates that during the time period of the play, woman were probably still seen as inferior to men, indicating the “me against society,” obstacle. Another obstacle Pelajia faces is the “me against another individual,” obstacle. She faces this with different sisters and it comes out when she decides to let her feelings out on each one. For instance, she tells Veronique that the reservation would be a better place without her. She told Annie Cook to “Move to Kapuskasing,” and she told Marie-Adele she was a “selfish brat.” There is tension between the sisters and Pelajia faces a “me against another individual,” obstacle with most of them.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
Possible images in the play include the bingo machine, and Philomena’s toilet. These are images because the bingo machine may look like a simple machine on the outside, but in actuality it can be seen as the key to each of the sister’s separate dreams. The toilet Philomena buys may seem like only a toilet, but it could also be a symbol of what the women would have had: something new. They were living in the reservation with different dreams, and Philomena was the only one who got something out of the Bingo Game. The toilet can represent what each of the sisters dreamed of, or a small outlet of that.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
The family relationships in this play are more complex than they seem. Each of the sisters are in fact that: sisters. However, there are underlying resentments, such as that between Annie Cook and Marie-Adele (husband left one for the other). Pelajia has underlying issues with Philomena, Veronique, and even Marie-Adele. They still tolerate each other, and by the end of the play it may be implied that as sisters, they still love each other. The relationship they have include one that is unconditional. Although they have issues with each other, they need each other.